I was at dinner with some friends on Tuesday night, discussing the sad sack of fail who ruined many a party at the 2011 World Fantasy Convention in San Diego by getting drunk and sexually harassing some of the women in attendance. Some of the women I was eating with said it wasn’t that bad, and that when a man harasses you, you’re just supposed to twist his thumb or take his hand away or yell at him loudly enough…

This year, I will again be a panelist at SFContario, Toronto’s only downtown SF convention. It takes place November 18-20, and in addition to being a panelist I will also be presenting an Aurora award for the Best Graphic Novel in English. (Hopefully I don’t have this same scratchy throat a month from now.) Here is my schedule: Targeting the Appropriate Market – Sat. 11 AM Parkview Often selling a story is all about finding the right market. How do…

Today I head up to Polaris, where I’ll be a panelist. Here’s my official schedule: Putting the Science Into Science Fiction Saturday 04:00 PM UNIONVILLE Standing at the Borders of the Future Sunday 01:00 PM NEWMARKET Unofficially, I’ll be attending a programming participant party this evening. It’s free, and I hope you’ll drop by to say hello. Otherwise, I’ll be wandering around attending readings and presentations. Absurdly, it’s my first time attending Polaris, so my light schedule will be a…

This November you can find me at SFContario, where I’ll be on a bunch of panels as both a participant and moderator. Here’s my schedule: Friday 10 PM – Ballroom A Cyborgs AI and Androids in Anime Japan leads the world in developing humanoid robots and anime productions address the question of what it means to be human if the human body is increasingly mechanized. Conversely when does a self aware system become worthy of being regarded as equal or…

Courtesy of my pal Dave, I learned that Lois Tilton at the Internet Review of Science Fiction had some pretty nice things to say about my story “Off-Track Betting” from Flurb #7. One of the things I like best about this review — aside from the fact that Ms. Tilton recommends my story — is how well she summarizes its content: When Xian was young, her family sold her to the People’s Colonial Circus. Now she is living on the…

Madeline Ashby has worked with Intel Labs, the Institute for the Future, SciFutures, Nesta, Data & Society, The Atlantic Council, the ASU Center for Science and the Imagination, Changeist, and others. She has spoken at SXSW, FutureEverything, MozFest, and other events. Her essays have appeared at BoingBoing, io9, WorldChanging, Creators Project, Arcfinity, MISC Magazine, and FutureNow. Her fiction has appeared in Slate, MIT Tech Review, and elsewhere. She is the author of the Machine Dynasty novels. Her novel Company Town was a Canada Reads finalist.